President Vladimir Putin said in remarks published on Sunday that Russia had sufficient strength and resources to take the war in Ukraine to its logical conclusion, though he hoped that there would be no need to use nuclear weapons.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of trying to provoke him into using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, in comments in a Russian state television documentary film about his 25 years in power.

Vladimir Putin has just begun his 25th year in power, extending his reign as the longest-serving Kremlin leader since Josef Stalin. His coming never-ending tenure started out when Boris Yeltsin handed him the presidency on the final day of 1999.